Thomas Rhett’s New Album Will Be Nostalgic, Because That’s What He Loves

Nostalgia is the common thread between Thomas Rhett's widely successful Life Changes albumand its highly anticipated follow-up, Center Point Road.

The singer professes that he has an aptitude for writing "weird songs," or songs that tell stories — an approach that earned him a No. 1 hit and an ACM Award for the heart-wrenching "Marry Me." Rhett also points to "Life Changes" and "Sixteen" to demonstrate how he uses music as a vessel to reflect on the defining moments of his life.

"Those are my favorite things to write about, because I love taking myself out of my present self and reminding myself of who I was when I was 16 or 18 or 21, and writing weird songs about what could have been or actually what did happen," Rhett shares with Taste of Country.

"Look What God Gave Her" Is Thomas Rhett's New Single

Though he chronicles his journey with wife Lauren and their growing family with daughters Willa and Ada on "Life Changes," Rhett says his new music dives deeper into how his young children have impacted his life.

"This is not so much about infants as kids as it is about what my kids have taught me by being babies," he explains. "They have taught me so much even about just being patient and taking life a little bit less serious."

And though he admits he's often compelled to write sad songs, Rhett devoted two months to writing positive, upbeat tracks, using his 3-year-old daughter Willa as a litmus test.

"If Willa Gray is not dancing in her car seat, then I feel like I've failed her," he insists, adding that he's written a handful that are "super fun and super different that are Willa Gray approved."

When looking at his collection of newly-penned songs, Rhett says one called "The Almost" is an example of one that recalls distinct memories of his youth: the time he nearly broke his leg while riding a dirt bike, how he risked losing his best friend over a girl freshman year of high school and wanting to play college football, but knowing in the back of his mind that wasn't his path.

"It's basically about all these events in my life that where almost tragic or almost perfect, but weren't," he describes of the song he's contemplating including on the album. "It's just kind of looking back and going, 'I'm so glad that all these things either did or did not pan out, because if they had gone even remotely left or remotely right, who knows where you'd be today.' All these different things that you thought were mistakes at the time that actually turned out to work in your favor, or not, that still turned out to work in your favor, and then it kind of led you to these places."

The first single from Center Point Road is the pop-tinged, woman-hailing "Look What God Gave Her." The album arrives in full on May 31.